Interesting day... went for an early walk along Cobham Drive (since Steve was going to work, I cadged a lift to Evans Bay and walked back). There was some low cloud, rather fog-like, and I watched a plane coming in to land just above me then *poof* it just disappeared! I assume it landed but I honestly couldn't see it right above my head. Cobham Drive is a weird kind of road, as the coastline there is reclaimed land, just a slope of huge rocks most of the way along. It's more of a boat marina than a beach. Half way along, there was a man about my age sitting cross legged on the sand below the rocks, smoking and staring out to see. He looked pretty seedy, and had the usual 'coke' bottle beside him. He looked depressed but purposeful, as if this was what he was there for, to drink, to exist to drink. Did you watch Leaving Las Vegas? That kind of feeling. I trudged on past. He had no interest in passers by.

The sea was like glass, dark broody glass, a kind of steely grey-green. With the crisp foggy air, it was a beautiful time to be out on foot. When we get (very occasional) fog, and you look at the harbour, dense bush, rugged coastline, you can get the feel of what the early settlers must have seen when they came to NZ in the 1700s and early 1800s.

We have an endless stream of friends staying with us for dinner or overnight, sometimes six or seven teenagers in the house at a time. I guess that's normal for teens but I have to fight to get some time alone! This morning I gave Finn the Haircut. I watched some hair-cutting videos on YouTube so that I wouldn't get this one wrong. Amazingly, feeling like a real hairdresser, I did a good job *g*

I'm sitting outside on the deck. The rabbit is leaping around. He's fallen for a soccer ball. It's an emotional affair. Meanwhile the cat has been dive-bombed all day by a pair of blackbirds who are nesting. He's driving them nuts so I don't blame them for going after him.

We bought a new tv today. I phoned the guy in the store and chatted about the purchase, then ten minutes later Asher, Christy, Max and I took the biggest clunkiest tv you ever saw into the store to exchange for a new one. The guy denied all knowledge of our call at first which was frustrating. Then he finally said, oh yeah, I remember now. When the other guy offered to meet us out the back to dump the old tv, I asked whether he'd remember to be there...

And now I need to go back inside and cook some Mongolian lamb with noodles. It's so nice out here, cool and calm, the sky is pale grey, and ...OMG the blackbird just dive-bombed the rabbit and me!! He's staring down at us from the cabbage tree like some evil character from The Birds... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

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Why did your account expire?? Or was it the old takahe account? I know they're going to expire unused accounts some time soon but your natesmountain account is hardly that. Or is it maybe just going from a paid account to a basic one??

I would love to reuse my takahe account name again. I liked being that. But *sigh* memories... I was sorting out the old phone book covers yesterday (our phone book has a place for writing incidental phone numbers down at the back and we tend to rip them off each year and keep them) and there, amongst all the local numbers, was one for my (EX) net friend in Glasgow - we used to talk for hours. I was almost tempted to call!!! Madness!

-Yes, it would have been madness to call. But I can understand the temptation!!*g*Oh some days I still miss her so much. We got on so well. But I have to assume she was not really as stable as I had imagined. But then a lot of net people turned out to be like that *g*

I think I'm just about over all of that now! Time is a great healer!

I'm so glad the PC arrived. I tried to send one to Viv as well but I had fogotten my address page and all I could remember was her street and town but not the post code thingys and all the other extras :-( I had your address buried in my gmail!

I put addresses into my gmail contacts page, and I also have a small diary sized address book that travels with me - not everybody is in it but people who might need postcards are!

I haven't heard from Viv for a while - must email or phone. I expect she's fairly busy!

I think the proportion of unstable personalities is probably about the same on the net as in 'real' life but on the net they are able to hide their instability for longer... But you met more than your fair share!